


Amici con benefici

by therealbloodymary01



Series: Untold stories of prats and clotpoles [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28668867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therealbloodymary01/pseuds/therealbloodymary01
Summary: Arthur has just discovered a new expression he enjoys really much and he's using it everytime he can. Nothing to worry, except that the phrase in question doesn't really mean what he thinks it means.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Untold stories of prats and clotpoles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101092
Comments: 12
Kudos: 81





	Amici con benefici

The knights of Camelot were on their way back from a particularly difficult quest, which had taken them many days to accomplish. 

They had been in Cenred's kingdom and successfully negotiated a new peace agreement. 

Prince Arthur was proud of their work, and now they were all heading back to the castle to enjoy some well deserved rest. 

He was riding at the end of the group next to Merlin, who had been complaining about being knackered by that never-ending journey for the previous hours. 

"I can't take this no more, if we don't make it to the palace in the next ten minutes I'm literally going to faint," he ranted. 

"Oh, shut up, Merlin, we're almost there, don't be dramatic." 

"It's easy for you to say, you were not given the oldest horse in the entire kingdom! Look at it, it barely manages to breath! And it's so slow that I might as well go on foot," he kept on complaining. 

Arthur gave him an ironic smirk, but eventually stopped riding. Merlin held his horse as well, slightly perplexed. 

"What?" 

"Get down that poor old animal and get your lazy backside here," he just said. "If you travel with me will you stop talking for at least five minutes?" 

Merlin was a little shocked by that offer, but actually kind of relieved. He didn't really fancy the idea of finishing the remaining half an hour of their journey in those conditions. So he decided to accept. 

"Well, uhm... thank you, I guess," he tried hesitantly as they were heading home again. 

Arthur nodded distracted. 

"See? Don't you dare say that I do not care for you again," he teased him. 

"Yeah, because you did it as we're best friends, not because you didn't want to hear my rants anymore--" 

"Oh, c'mon, Merlin, you're really no fun today! Of course I consider you a friend, actually even more than that." 

The young boy looked at him bewildered, wondering what his master meant by those words. 

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" He asked. 

"We're friends with benefits!" The prince declared enthusiastic. 

Merlin almost lost his balance and risked to miserably fall on the ground. He couldn't help but laugh blatantly, and Arthur was just very much confused about why he found his words so hilarious. 

"Merlin? Will you stop moving so much? What's so funny?" 

"I-I'm sorry, Sire," he tried, barely holding his shit together, "it's just that I don't think you meant to say... what you said," he snorted, unable to control himself. 

"Yes, I do! I mean, we're always doing favours to each other, we even saved each other's lives! Hence, we're friends with benefits. Huge benefits, one might add." 

Merlin was dangerously close to laugh himself to death. He didn't have the heart to tell his master what that expression really meant, but someone had to. 

"Uhm Arthur, ca-can I ask you who told you about this way of saying? Did you hear it somewhere?" He tried, wiping away a tear he had accidentally shed while laughing. 

"Well, I can't remember who actually told me, but I recall it was during one of the training sessions, and the moment I heard it, I instantly thought of you," he explained. 

"Yeah, maybe stop saying that out loud," the boy suggested him. 

In that moment, someone added to the rear of the group, joining their not-so-appropriate conversation. 

"Hey lads, how's it going?" Gwaine asked them, aligning his horse with theirs. 

"I was just explaining to Merlin the concept of friends with benefits, which I think suits perfectly our kind of relationship, don't you think?" 

The prince looked absolutely oblivious of what he had said, while Merlin, who had failed to stop his talking, was trying not to blush. 

Gwaine was looking at them amused. 

"Oh yes, I perfectly agree, My Lord," he confirmed, smiling widely. Then, a devilish grin appeared on his face. 

"But is Merlin your ONLY friend with benefits?" He asked the prince, making a fake sad expression. 

"Oh, no, he isn't the only one, of course! We're friends with benefits too, Gwaine!" He reassured him. 

Gwaine's eyes lit up at those words. 

"Would you mind repeat it in front of Leon, Sire?" 

Merlin signed him not to do that, but Gwaine didn't bother listening to him. 

"Leon? Why him?" 

"Because he always thinks I can't do anything right, and yet here I am being friends with benefits with the prince, and what is he doing?" 

Merlin was trying so hard not to collapse at that point. 

"Don't worry, Gwaine, this evening I'm going to thank all of you in front of everyone, and I'll mention the fact that you all have been such good friends with benefits of mine. Oh, now that I think of it, wasn't it you who told me about this expression?" 

Now everything was clear. Gwaine. Of course it was him. 

"Alright, enough, I'm gonna tell him," burst out Merlin. 

"Don't you dare!" Replied Gwaine, who was enjoying himself a lot. 

Arthur looked at both of them. 

"Tell me what?" He questioned. 

"That... phrase you use, My Lord, well, it doesn't quite mean what you think it means," the servant began. 

"And what could it possibly mean if not special friends who do something for each other? God, Merlin, it's not that hard to understand!" 

"You know, he's not wrong, after all," Gwaine said ironically. 

"It is correct, Arthur, but the nature of the favours isn't really friendly-like," he tried again. 

The prince turned his head to look at him. 

"What do you mean?" 

Merlin leaned down to whisper in his ear the real meaning of the expression. 

Arthur's eyes went wide and passed from disbelief to shame to pure anger. 

He turned to face Gwaine but he was already rushing to the front of the small group. 

The prince couldn't believe the knight had really made him say he basically had an affair with all his knights and Merlin. 

He would have paid for it.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's not very likely that an expression of that kind existed in the Middle Ages, but it's just a fic written for fun, so I hope you enjoy it♡♡
> 
> Fun fact: the title it's just the literal Italian translation of 'friends with benefits' because I suck at titles :))


End file.
